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Twin suicide bombings kill 4 people in west Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) — Two suicide bombers blew themselves Tuesday up in front of a government office in Iraq's western Anbar province, killing four people and wounding eight others, officials said.

Insurgents frequently go after Iraqi government targets in an effort to destabilize the security situation as U.S. troops prepare to leave by the end of the year.

Dhari Arkan, deputy governor of Anbar province, said the suicide attackers, who were disguised as police, detonated their explosives near the entrance of the government compound in the Sunni city of Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad.

He said two people were killed instantly and two others died of their wounds in the hospital, bringing the casualty toll to four killed and eight wounded.

A provincial security official said a car bomb exploded earlier in a parking lot near the compound in an apparent attempt to distract the guards. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

Violence has ebbed across Iraq, but deadly bombings and shootings still occur almost daily, highlighting Iraq's continued instability ahead of the scheduled U.S. troop pullout.

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